Hillary Rodham Clinton is interviewed during a gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in early December. / Jason DeCrow, AP

by Catalina Camia, USA TODAY

by Catalina Camia, USA TODAY

The Hillary Clinton for President bandwagon got a boost Monday in vote-rich Southern California from Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

California's senior senator penned an op-ed column for the Santa Clarita Valley News trumpeting her former colleague's readiness for the White House. Santa Clarita is one of the fastest growing towns in Los Angeles County.

"I was an early and enthusiastic supporter during Hillary's run for the White House in 2008. I believed she would be a spectacular leader and a transformative president for our country," Feinstein, D-Calif., wrote. "I still believe that. Now more than ever."

Clinton, the former secretary of State, senator from New York and first lady, still hasn't said whether she'll seek the White House again in 2016. But there's a movement going on now to get her to run, as various top Democrats (including many of the women in the Senate) proclaim they're behind Clinton and the Ready for Hillary draft campaign grows.

Feinstein played a key role in Clinton's transition from losing Democratic candidate in 2008 to eventually becoming a member of President Obama's Cabinet. Clinton and Obama met at Feinstein's Northwest Washington home to iron out their differences, after it was clear that Obama would become the Democratic Party's presidential nominee.

"Cynics questioned Hillary's commitment to that cause, but those of us who knew her well had no doubt: She would be an invaluable asset on the campaign trail and eventually a trusted adviser in the Obama administration's Cabinet," Feinstein wrote in her column, which also touched on Clinton's work at the State Department and Senate.

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